On Jan 8 was the Majlis Negri Sembilan Berselawat, which brought thousands from across the state to the royal town’s Padang to sing praises for the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), followed by a smaller tahlil the next day in conjunction with the birthday, at Tuanku Munawir Mosque.
Two days later, there was a fun run starting at the Padang, quickly veering into the small roads to the kampungs and then snaking through the back lanes. As a racquets sports player, my body has become conditioned to short, anaerobic bursts of activity, not sustained runs of half an hour, so I deliberately took the time to appreciate the air invigorated by fresh streams (centuries ago substantial waterways that formed riverine trading routes) and oxygenated by trees which have witnessed generations of families since they accompanied my ancestors from Pagaruyong. The route was 800m longer than advertised, so my attempted “sprint to the finish” totally failed.
Over the weekend, the Padang hosted a chess tournament, remote-controlled plane flying and a unique fitness event incorporating an appreciation for songket. The annual sepak takraw tournament has outgrown its normal venue of SK Tunku Laksamana Nasir, requiring instead the indoor hall of SMK Senaling Kuala Pilah, and now attracting ex-national players. They made me receive a serve to kick the ball over the net, and with that done, the finalists put on a wonderful show of acrobatic skill.
On the evening of Jan 11, it was back to the Padang to watch the finals of the cak lempong competition. This inventiveness of the players of this idiophone instrument of West Sumatran origin is truly impressive: alongside the traditional (and very good) uses of the gongs to accompany folk songs, there was one incredible shred where the dexterous player followed an electric bass and guitar in semiquaver runs.
On Jan 13, it was the turn of organisations to proudly highlight genius bakers who dedicated hours to craft intricate cakes for their Ruler, based on his personal hobbies or architectural or cultural themes of the state (hence a squash-themed cake next to a sugary throne room). Of course, these usually massive creations are always shared with the community.
I took a couple of hours to ride in the peaceful enclave of Ladang Alam Warisan, before returning to the Padang for the pop and rock concert, Xpresi Dirgahayu 3.0. Having already heard the tuned percussion of cak lempong, the Padang was treated to three more ethnically-based drum troupes – kompangs and gendangs; tablas and dhols; and dagus played by the athletic students of Chung Hua High School. Negeri FM put on a great show as usual, and my contribution was accompanying on keyboard for two songs: Sinaran with Nadeera, and Bintang with Black and Hazama.
The fireworks display – caught spectacularly in a new perspective by a drone flying through the explosions – thrilled the crowd before I joined relatives in visiting the various traders who had set up stalls, who seemed happy with the spending throng.
The next day – my father’s actual birthday – saw the most ceremonial part of the proceedings. Schoolchildren screamed “Daulat Tuanku!” (and maybe “hensemnya!”) along the route, before turning to watch the songket-adorned soldiers play the state anthem well. The 21-gun salute was somewhat interrupted midway, resulting in more startled jumps than normal when it resumed.
The subsequent police band entertained with classic songs before breaking into a rendition of Golden from KPop Demon Hunters, which frankly I heard too much of during the previous Christmas-New Year period, it having joined the ranks of usual seasonal music! Then, the award-winning military drumline increased the energy further, with its leader spitting fireballs synchronously with percussion punches.
The investiture after that announced only 30 new Datuks and two new Datuk Seris – the Tunku Kecil Muda, my uncle Tunku Fawzy, a well-respected corporate figure; and Auditor General Datuk Seri Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi, whose investigation into Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia exposed irregularities that are still being addressed. I am proud that my father’s pronouncements on the matter have encouraged staff and students of other universities to probe suspicious spending in their institutions, too.
There are many more events – the tug of war, fishing competition, heritage bicycle rides, football – and while they all bring the institution of monarchy closer to the people, it’s the affection and appreciation that people have for the Ruler that makes it truly worthwhile, when they see that a king cares for the good governance of the country and the wellbeing of his people.
Happy Birthday, Papa!
Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin is the second son of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.
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